WEBVTT - Reopening New York Safely and Securely is Solvable

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<v Speaker 1>Pushkin, this is solvable. I'm Ronald Young Junior. Friday the thirteenth,

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<v Speaker 1>which is ominous of itself. That was the last normal

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<v Speaker 1>day in the office. As Americans, as we begin the

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<v Speaker 1>process of safely sinking back into our regular lives, there

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<v Speaker 1>are a ton of things to consider about our social interactions.

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<v Speaker 1>Should I wear my mask into this grocery store? Can

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<v Speaker 1>I grab a coffee with my friend? Is this restaurant

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<v Speaker 1>too crowded for me to sit inside? And in a

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<v Speaker 1>massively crowded city inside of a large state, there are

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<v Speaker 1>countless details like these to consider when it comes to

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<v Speaker 1>keeping entire populations safe. Jason Dgiati works for the State

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<v Speaker 1>of New York and has been mulling over those details

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<v Speaker 1>since day one of the pandemic. As we were dealing

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<v Speaker 1>with these emergencies and even closing down the economy putting

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<v Speaker 1>these restrictions in place, the immediate thought was, we're gonna

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<v Speaker 1>have to reopen. We're gonna have to turn this whole

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<v Speaker 1>thing back on. New Yorkers are no strangers to catastrophic challenges.

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<v Speaker 1>They emerged from nine to eleven from the blackouts in

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<v Speaker 1>two thousand and three and made impressive recoveries after both

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<v Speaker 1>Hurricanes Irene and Sandy. Those were events. Those are things

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<v Speaker 1>that happened, and then they stopped, and we looked around, said,

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<v Speaker 1>what do we need to do to fix right? How

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<v Speaker 1>are we going to clean this up? COVID started and

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<v Speaker 1>just kept going, and we're still going even as COVID continues.

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<v Speaker 1>Jason d Gianni's team is actively trying out ideas to

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<v Speaker 1>encourage New York residents to re engage with social activities safely.

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<v Speaker 1>The Excelsior Pass is a digital tool that makes negative

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<v Speaker 1>COVID tests and positive vaccination statuses quick to confirm. Dgianni

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<v Speaker 1>thinks it offers some vital grease to the wheels of

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<v Speaker 1>the state's economy. This is Jason Dgianni. I'm a project

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<v Speaker 1>lead on New York's Excelsior Pass program, and reopening New

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<v Speaker 1>York safely and secure is solvable. Are you originally from

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<v Speaker 1>New York been there your whole life or my whole

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<v Speaker 1>life originally from downstate from Long Island, So came upstate

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<v Speaker 1>for college and just ended up not leaving. When would

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<v Speaker 1>you say was your last normal day on the job?

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<v Speaker 1>March thirteenth? Oh wow, that was a front top of mind. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>Friday the thirteenth, which is you know, ominous of itself.

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<v Speaker 1>That was the last normal day in the office. Tell

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<v Speaker 1>me a little bit about your job, be pre covid, Like,

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<v Speaker 1>give me a typical day, pre COVID. I mean, I'll

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<v Speaker 1>focus on the procurement end, is making sure we're spending

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<v Speaker 1>the state's money wisely and have a good process. At

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<v Speaker 1>the division of the budget, We're dealing primarily a lot

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<v Speaker 1>with professional services and things of that nature. And then

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<v Speaker 1>literally the turn from February into March, testing and building

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<v Speaker 1>up the state's testing capacity became front and center, and

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<v Speaker 1>I saw that focus shift and the volume we were

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<v Speaker 1>looking for shift. That's when you knew things were going

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<v Speaker 1>to change. This being a large New York event, you know, COVID,

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<v Speaker 1>did you have any comparisons from this event to something

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<v Speaker 1>like nine to eleven being a really big, significant New

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<v Speaker 1>York event. It's hard making comparisons with stuff like this.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, I'll just say, especially New York's had a

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<v Speaker 1>lot to go through. So yeah, nine to eleven Sandy

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<v Speaker 1>was huge. I was in state government at the time,

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<v Speaker 1>so I saw a lot of the state's response. My family,

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<v Speaker 1>my parents didn't have power for three weeks. I remember

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<v Speaker 1>just talking to my mom going on you know, local shops,

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<v Speaker 1>trying to charge your phone so you could talk to people.

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<v Speaker 1>But there's a key difference in those events that just

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<v Speaker 1>different from COVID that really just made this whole experience

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<v Speaker 1>so surreal. Those were events. Those are things that happened,

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<v Speaker 1>and then they stopped and we looked around, said what

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<v Speaker 1>do we need to do to fix right? How are

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<v Speaker 1>we going to clean this up? COVID started and just

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<v Speaker 1>kept going and it wasn't done and we're still going right. So,

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<v Speaker 1>thinking about your reaction to something like Hurricane Sandy, the

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<v Speaker 1>government probably knows exactly how quickly to react to a

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<v Speaker 1>natural disaster that has an end. How would you gauge

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<v Speaker 1>the government's reaction to something like COVID that does not

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<v Speaker 1>have an end? When would you say that you guys

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<v Speaker 1>really found your way righting the ship found your way,

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<v Speaker 1>saying Okay, we're figuring it out. We're in the storm now,

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<v Speaker 1>we're figuring it exactly how to respond? Yeah, I'll say

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<v Speaker 1>the one thing working in this administration in this environment

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<v Speaker 1>is the quick pivot to action is always there. And

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<v Speaker 1>I can say, I mean, there were people who were

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<v Speaker 1>in rooms for days on end without break a week

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<v Speaker 1>or so in you know, we realized that was going

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<v Speaker 1>to be a steady state for a while. The pivot,

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<v Speaker 1>or like the looking forward to getting out of this

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<v Speaker 1>happened early on in the sense that as we were

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<v Speaker 1>dealing with these emergencies and even closing down the economy

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<v Speaker 1>putting these restrictions in place, the immediate thought was we're

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<v Speaker 1>gonna have to reopen, We're gonna have to turn this

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<v Speaker 1>whole thing back on, and that was always I would say,

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<v Speaker 1>in the back of our minds, what was that going

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<v Speaker 1>to look like and what was it going to take?

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<v Speaker 1>And you saw this, I think in a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>the discussions and press conferences about what were the numbers,

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<v Speaker 1>what was the signs showing us, how was this going

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<v Speaker 1>to grow? And when would we know we can start

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<v Speaker 1>doing certain things. But I would say, right away, we

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<v Speaker 1>were going down a path and we knew we have

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<v Speaker 1>to get back out, and that was always there. And

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<v Speaker 1>you go back to the governor's State of the State

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<v Speaker 1>address in January right already talking about what reopening was

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<v Speaker 1>going to be, and even Excelsior pass right and how

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<v Speaker 1>that was going to be a tool. Tell me a

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<v Speaker 1>little bit about Excelsior Pass. What is it, what does

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<v Speaker 1>it do? When we started, it was a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>the focus was on testing, COVID testing because vaccination rates

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<v Speaker 1>we're still ramping up. But essentially, Excelsior Pass lets you

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<v Speaker 1>take a negative test result or your vaccination status, turn

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<v Speaker 1>that into a very simple QR code pass that you

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<v Speaker 1>can then present to be scanned or just show people

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<v Speaker 1>that shows your status, so you can show I have

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<v Speaker 1>a negative test, I'm COVID free, or I've been vaccinated.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a tool that's giving people comfort to go out

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<v Speaker 1>and get used to getting back to what they love

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<v Speaker 1>doing before the pandemic. What has been the response from

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<v Speaker 1>New Yorkers as the Excelsior Pass has been The access

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<v Speaker 1>to it has been rolled out and I guess in

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<v Speaker 1>the app store or wherever else it's available. We've just

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<v Speaker 1>crossed over our two million mark for two million passes generated.

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<v Speaker 1>We're seeing parties being thrown where people are asking those

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<v Speaker 1>to come and bring an Excelsior Pass and show their status.

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<v Speaker 1>We're seeing bars use it, We're seeing restaurants, we're seeing

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<v Speaker 1>exercise Jim's use it. Look it's a voluntary program, right.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, it's a tool we put out there. It's

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<v Speaker 1>free for every New Yorker, it's free for every business

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<v Speaker 1>in New York. It's something we wanted to get in

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<v Speaker 1>people's hands to help them get out and reopen and

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<v Speaker 1>and just seeing that uptake has been great. Why was

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<v Speaker 1>it important for y'all to make the past voluntary. It's

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<v Speaker 1>important for a number of reasons, I think, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>primarily is we didn't want to put something that was

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<v Speaker 1>going to get get in the way of people's participating.

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<v Speaker 1>There's access questions, there's availability questions, and you know, we

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<v Speaker 1>mitigate that in different ways. Where it's a it could

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<v Speaker 1>be a principal pass too, so it's it's something it's digital,

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<v Speaker 1>it's on a phone, but you could just print, print

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<v Speaker 1>it and have your QR code and carry that around. Well.

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<v Speaker 1>Was top of mind for us was not putting a

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<v Speaker 1>roadblock or a hurdle in the way of people being

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<v Speaker 1>able to go out there. You know, there's other states

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<v Speaker 1>in which they've written in legislation to prevent any sort

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<v Speaker 1>of access denial when it comes to using the vaccine,

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<v Speaker 1>having taken a vaccine or not taken a vaccine. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>So how would you respond to people that are critical

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<v Speaker 1>of this saying, well, now they're requiring us to show

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<v Speaker 1>that we've been vaccinated even though it is a voluntary system. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>I think you know what I would say is we're

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<v Speaker 1>giving people a choice in a tool to help them

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<v Speaker 1>as they see fit and if they want to to

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<v Speaker 1>help them participate and use this. Do you think it's

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<v Speaker 1>the most ideal situation if everybody used it? When you

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<v Speaker 1>say everybody used it, you mean like every business or

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<v Speaker 1>just individuals? I mean yeah, I'm just saying like, if,

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<v Speaker 1>like in a perfect world, if every single person we're

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<v Speaker 1>using the Excelsior app, would that be the ideal scenario

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<v Speaker 1>for y'all? Or is this really just an option you

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<v Speaker 1>guys are presenting. Yeah, look, it's an option, right, So

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<v Speaker 1>we don't have requirements that say everyone, you know, things

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<v Speaker 1>are only open to those who are vaccinated, or things

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<v Speaker 1>are only opened to negative tests or these statuses. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>what I'd like to see is people use it as

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<v Speaker 1>much as they can. I think for individuals, I would say,

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<v Speaker 1>get your past just to have it. I think it's

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<v Speaker 1>just helpful to have instead of this just your CDC

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<v Speaker 1>card and not having to carry that right or to

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<v Speaker 1>use it when when you run into a business. From

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<v Speaker 1>a business standpoint, I would say, make that available and

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<v Speaker 1>when appropriate for the type of activities you are reopening,

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<v Speaker 1>and you think this will generate increased business or attract

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<v Speaker 1>more people, use it and show how this can be helpful,

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<v Speaker 1>How how creating. You know these vaccination sections like in

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<v Speaker 1>sports arenas, How that's that's a helpful thing. So I

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<v Speaker 1>would say support that. Anything that's going to support public health,

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<v Speaker 1>anything that's going to support our economic health is good

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<v Speaker 1>for New York period. With only nine million people fully

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<v Speaker 1>vaccinated in New York State, that's basically only a fraction

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<v Speaker 1>of the population. So how effective can the pass be

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<v Speaker 1>with numbers like those? Well, I think it can be

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<v Speaker 1>as effective, you know, as as the people using it

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<v Speaker 1>and want to make use of it. I mean, it

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<v Speaker 1>is out there right now. So look, it's effective in

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<v Speaker 1>a sense of it is a replacement. You can digitize

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<v Speaker 1>your credential and you can use it and present it

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<v Speaker 1>and any business can just download the scanner and use

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<v Speaker 1>it and scan it. So it's as effective as the

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<v Speaker 1>original credential itsself. Right, So I mean that's something you know,

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<v Speaker 1>we talk about too. Is the CDC card or your

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<v Speaker 1>test results, those are the baseline credential. That's what you need. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>when we were reopening and you know you want to

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<v Speaker 1>get into like let's say, a fully vaccinated section at

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<v Speaker 1>Yankee Stadium or something, you need to show your vaccine card, right,

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<v Speaker 1>So this is an effective replacement for that or substitution

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<v Speaker 1>for that. So we know that you had to work

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<v Speaker 1>a lot with federal medical databases and the New York

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<v Speaker 1>State databases as well. Was working with them a challenge

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<v Speaker 1>or how was that relationship? That was not an impediment

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<v Speaker 1>for us, It was a feature. So New York State,

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<v Speaker 1>we have a database for all of our test records.

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<v Speaker 1>So every COVID test that's administered in New York State

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<v Speaker 1>and every vaccination that is given is in our New

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<v Speaker 1>York State database. And that is the engine that really

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<v Speaker 1>drives the Excelsior pass. When you scan an Excelsior Pass,

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<v Speaker 1>you're not only seeing that Okay, somebody's showing me they're

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<v Speaker 1>vaccinated or they got a negative result, which you also

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<v Speaker 1>get as a result that says New York State has

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<v Speaker 1>validated this pass against their data. It's you know, we

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<v Speaker 1>talk a lot about the comfort of the New Yorkers

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<v Speaker 1>getting the pass, but from a business standpoint, to have

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<v Speaker 1>that piece of mind when you conduct that scan, I

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<v Speaker 1>think that's a huge piece too. And do you guys

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<v Speaker 1>have options for folks who are visiting New York. So

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<v Speaker 1>that's something we're working on. You alluded to this early, right.

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<v Speaker 1>Different states have different approaches thoughts on vaccine passes and

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<v Speaker 1>these records. We're working certainly with our neighboring states and

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<v Speaker 1>trying to have some kind of data sharing or ability

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<v Speaker 1>to issue this pass. Especially down in the New York

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<v Speaker 1>City area. There's a lot of folks from like Connecticut,

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<v Speaker 1>New Jersey and neighboring states. We want to make it

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<v Speaker 1>as easy for them to come into New York as possible.

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<v Speaker 1>To anyone listening who is coming to visit New York,

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<v Speaker 1>any record you have is still valid and can still

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<v Speaker 1>be you, So anyone who's asking for vaccinated folks, you

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<v Speaker 1>can still show your CDC card. Do you have any

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<v Speaker 1>experiences with yourself going out and because I imagine you

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<v Speaker 1>have to be an evangelist for the past in some ways,

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<v Speaker 1>but have you been using it yourself? Yeah, yeah, I

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<v Speaker 1>mean certainly I've gotten it right away, I can say,

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<v Speaker 1>I mean early on. I mean just one of the

0:13:12.956 --> 0:13:16.596
<v Speaker 1>two biggest experiences was we went to a Rangers game

0:13:17.356 --> 0:13:19.716
<v Speaker 1>and we went to the Barclays Center for a Nets game.

0:13:20.156 --> 0:13:23.276
<v Speaker 1>So going to that and seeing that the first fans,

0:13:23.316 --> 0:13:25.556
<v Speaker 1>the first couple of days people being able to go

0:13:25.596 --> 0:13:28.636
<v Speaker 1>in and see their teams live again was just, you know,

0:13:28.836 --> 0:13:32.116
<v Speaker 1>great to see. I mean, for me personally, it's cool

0:13:32.156 --> 0:13:36.316
<v Speaker 1>to just to see something you've worked on and pull

0:13:36.356 --> 0:13:38.036
<v Speaker 1>it out on a phone and just have somebody at

0:13:38.156 --> 0:13:41.316
<v Speaker 1>MSG scan it. I mean, that's a pretty cool feeling, right.

0:13:41.756 --> 0:13:43.756
<v Speaker 1>We don't always get to build something and then go

0:13:43.836 --> 0:13:46.316
<v Speaker 1>play with it and watch it work. Have you had

0:13:46.356 --> 0:13:49.636
<v Speaker 1>the opportunity to be like, you know, I helped make that.

0:13:49.636 --> 0:13:53.596
<v Speaker 1>That's right, this is past number seven, right, like, but well,

0:13:53.636 --> 0:13:55.196
<v Speaker 1>you know the funny thing is, I mean, for me,

0:13:55.276 --> 0:13:58.116
<v Speaker 1>I had to wait till I was eligible for vaccine.

0:13:58.156 --> 0:14:01.076
<v Speaker 1>So actually there was a period of time where Excelsior

0:14:01.116 --> 0:14:03.276
<v Speaker 1>pass was out there and I couldn't get a pass

0:14:03.356 --> 0:14:05.036
<v Speaker 1>from my vaccine pass. I did get a bunch of

0:14:05.036 --> 0:14:08.316
<v Speaker 1>test passes, so so that was something I was able

0:14:08.356 --> 0:14:10.836
<v Speaker 1>to try out. Do you think the creation of the

0:14:10.876 --> 0:14:16.036
<v Speaker 1>app has encouraged more people to go get vaccinated. I hope.

0:14:16.076 --> 0:14:19.916
<v Speaker 1>So aside from the public health, from the personal health

0:14:19.916 --> 0:14:23.636
<v Speaker 1>reasons to get vaccinated, you're seeing now what you can

0:14:23.716 --> 0:14:27.596
<v Speaker 1>do with that vaccination status. Just look at sports right

0:14:28.036 --> 0:14:31.796
<v Speaker 1>you can have back to normal full capacity sections for

0:14:31.796 --> 0:14:35.836
<v Speaker 1>people who are vaccinated. I mean, my brother's huge Islanders fans,

0:14:35.836 --> 0:14:38.356
<v Speaker 1>they're very excited. Right now you can go to Anasta

0:14:38.396 --> 0:14:40.716
<v Speaker 1>coscy and you can go and watch and be with

0:14:40.796 --> 0:14:45.116
<v Speaker 1>the crowd like you were before COVID. That is such

0:14:45.156 --> 0:14:49.236
<v Speaker 1>a huge is just so uplifting for me personally, just

0:14:49.876 --> 0:14:51.676
<v Speaker 1>going from this journey and if we go back to

0:14:51.676 --> 0:14:55.316
<v Speaker 1>Friday thirteenth, going from where we were to trying to

0:14:55.316 --> 0:14:59.196
<v Speaker 1>buy medical supplies that were impossible to get to now

0:14:59.596 --> 0:15:03.476
<v Speaker 1>helping people go to a sports game with all their friends.

0:15:03.516 --> 0:15:06.996
<v Speaker 1>I mean, what a turnaround. I know I talked a

0:15:06.996 --> 0:15:11.836
<v Speaker 1>bit about like the business community, a huge benefit of

0:15:11.876 --> 0:15:15.036
<v Speaker 1>this program is the ease and the efficiency of scanning

0:15:15.036 --> 0:15:18.076
<v Speaker 1>people into your establishment. I mean, we've all scanned QR

0:15:18.116 --> 0:15:19.916
<v Speaker 1>codes and stuff. We know how quick this stuff is.

0:15:20.436 --> 0:15:22.956
<v Speaker 1>Compare that to you have a line of fifty people

0:15:23.116 --> 0:15:26.516
<v Speaker 1>at MSG or a club or a show or whatever,

0:15:27.116 --> 0:15:30.716
<v Speaker 1>and you've got to go look through a card and

0:15:31.036 --> 0:15:34.076
<v Speaker 1>check the dates. Is have fifteen days passed or you're

0:15:34.156 --> 0:15:37.116
<v Speaker 1>checking a test, is it within three days? It takes

0:15:37.156 --> 0:15:39.156
<v Speaker 1>you know, a minute. I actually, I mean I saw

0:15:39.196 --> 0:15:41.076
<v Speaker 1>this when we were doing our pilots oft like Madison

0:15:41.116 --> 0:15:43.036
<v Speaker 1>Square Garden. You see someone in the dark with a

0:15:43.076 --> 0:15:45.956
<v Speaker 1>flashlight looking at this piece of paper trying to calculate

0:15:46.476 --> 0:15:49.636
<v Speaker 1>is this a valid test result or is this the

0:15:50.436 --> 0:15:53.596
<v Speaker 1>you know, that takes time. So this is this is

0:15:53.596 --> 0:15:57.236
<v Speaker 1>a lot much more efficient and much easier. So in

0:15:57.276 --> 0:15:59.996
<v Speaker 1>most cases, like if they have the vaccine pass, the

0:16:00.036 --> 0:16:02.356
<v Speaker 1>only way that they can get it is by having

0:16:02.396 --> 0:16:06.356
<v Speaker 1>either a clear COVID test of clear vaccination status or

0:16:06.436 --> 0:16:10.516
<v Speaker 1>clear PCR status. If I'm not mistaken, so do you

0:16:10.516 --> 0:16:14.876
<v Speaker 1>guys run into incidences where people do not scan clear

0:16:15.436 --> 0:16:18.716
<v Speaker 1>based on there but even though they have a QR

0:16:18.756 --> 0:16:21.036
<v Speaker 1>code that says that they are one of the things.

0:16:21.076 --> 0:16:23.716
<v Speaker 1>And this was primarily with the test results, those would

0:16:23.756 --> 0:16:26.076
<v Speaker 1>expire after a certain amount of time, right you you

0:16:26.156 --> 0:16:28.076
<v Speaker 1>had to be within a three day range, so you

0:16:28.116 --> 0:16:30.956
<v Speaker 1>would get a negative result, you know, the skin would

0:16:30.956 --> 0:16:33.156
<v Speaker 1>not work, or you'd get the X because it's expired,

0:16:33.236 --> 0:16:36.316
<v Speaker 1>or would say he's expired, or if somebody was trying

0:16:36.356 --> 0:16:39.396
<v Speaker 1>to create one, you know, and it was not a

0:16:39.436 --> 0:16:43.476
<v Speaker 1>recognizable QR code. Let's say somebody's trying to recreate this

0:16:43.556 --> 0:16:46.596
<v Speaker 1>in some way or or spoof this, so those those

0:16:46.596 --> 0:16:49.556
<v Speaker 1>would show up negative. What advice would you give to

0:16:49.596 --> 0:16:54.796
<v Speaker 1>other cities and states exploring this avenue. I would say

0:16:56.076 --> 0:17:00.316
<v Speaker 1>focus on, you know, the objective, which is trying to

0:17:00.356 --> 0:17:04.156
<v Speaker 1>get people to come out. Keep it easy, keep it secure,

0:17:05.316 --> 0:17:13.716
<v Speaker 1>keep it simple. Jason Dgianni is the Director of Procurement

0:17:13.756 --> 0:17:15.476
<v Speaker 1>for the State of New York and help launch the

0:17:15.516 --> 0:17:19.236
<v Speaker 1>Excelsior Pass. The digital tool makes proof of negative COVID

0:17:19.276 --> 0:17:22.956
<v Speaker 1>tests and positive vaccine status is easy to confirm through

0:17:22.956 --> 0:17:26.956
<v Speaker 1>a quick scan. It's free for businesses and individuals across

0:17:26.996 --> 0:17:34.076
<v Speaker 1>the state. Solvable Senior producer is Jocelyn Frank, Research by

0:17:34.196 --> 0:17:38.756
<v Speaker 1>David Jah, Booking by Lisa Dunn. Our managing producer is

0:17:38.756 --> 0:17:43.716
<v Speaker 1>Sasha Matthias, and our executive producer is Mio LaBelle. Solvable

0:17:43.756 --> 0:17:46.756
<v Speaker 1>is a production of Pushkin Industries. If you like the show,

0:17:47.036 --> 0:17:50.276
<v Speaker 1>please remember to share, rate, and review. It helps us

0:17:50.356 --> 0:17:53.396
<v Speaker 1>find our way to the ears of new listeners. You

0:17:53.436 --> 0:17:56.796
<v Speaker 1>could find Pushkin podcasts wherever you listen, including on the

0:17:56.836 --> 0:18:02.516
<v Speaker 1>iHeartRadio app and Apple podcasts. I'm Ronald Young Junior. Thanks

0:18:02.516 --> 0:18:11.396
<v Speaker 1>for listening. I'll pull up appen